AAA: ATV, boat owners should be up on insurance, laws
Jul 11, 2012, 7:29 AM | Updated: 7:30 am
PHOENIX — With summer and vacation plans in full swing, owners of ATVs and boats might want to check their insurance coverage before hauling those big-ticket toys out of storage.
“It is important to know the law,” said Michelle Donati of AAA Arizona. “Non-street legal ATVs are not required to be insured per state law, but ATVs that are licensed for street use or with a lien holder are required to carry bodily injury and property damage liability coverage.”
Boat owners can save on insurance by operating a diesel-powered craft, keeping Coast Guard-approved fire extinguishers on board and using a ship-to-shore radio.
A report from the Arizona Department of Health Services said in 2010, nearly 2,000 people visited the emergency room after accidents.
“Each year, hundreds of crashes involving boats and off-highway vehicles, such as ATVs, occur in Arizona,” she said. “Those result in injuries, fatalities, as well as financial losses.”
Donati said operator error is responsible for many of the accidents.
